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Consumers face big increase in eco fees for printers

If you buy a floor standing printer or photocopier, you could see the price soar next month, thanks to Ontario’s eco fee program.

The eco fee on large printers and copiers will go up to $341.20 on Jan. 1. That’s up more than 10 times from the $32.50 fee that has been in force since April 2010.

Technological change is behind the steep increase, says Jonathan Spencer, executive director of Ontario Electronic Stewardship (OES), the company running the electronic waste recycling program on behalf of producers.

“As devices get cheaper and cheaper, floor-standing printers are being taken out of service and replaced by desktop models,” he explains.

“These machines are heavy. If more of them go through the program and the fees are not funding the diversion, the fees have to be increased.”

Manufacturers and importers of electronic items pay OES to divert waste and keep it out of the landfill. Consumers also pay for waste diversion if the eco fees are passed along at the retail level.

“The fee is the responsibility of the producer,” says Julie Kwiecinski, a spokeswoman for Waste Diversion Ontario, an arm’s length agency of the province that oversees the electronics recycling program.

“How producers choose to recover it is up to them — including whether or not it will be passed on to consumers.”

A controversy about costs forced Ontario to shelve plans to extend eco fees to products such as soaps and detergents in 2010.

The eco fees on electronic products, which have been in force since 2010, still remain. Many will rise in 2013.

For computer monitors and TV screens, the fee goes to $12.25 (from $11). For larger display devices from 29 to 45 inches, it goes to $27.60 (from $25).

For portable or laptop computers, the fee triples to $2.30 (from 70 cents). For cellular devices and pagers, it goes to 10 cents from 1 cent — another tenfold increase.

For desktop printing, copying and multi-function devices, the fee doubles to $11.45 (from $5.40) — still a far cry from the $341.20 fee for floor-standing printers, copying and multi-function devices.

Unfortunately, there isn’t yet a list of printers and copiers subject to the smaller eco fee. The work of defining lower-end models is being done with Waste Diversion Ontario, Spencer says.

The $341.20 fee “isn’t for something that an individual would buy,” he says. “It’s for business-to-business machines that are usually fairly expensive. They’re often leased and the fees will be reflected in the lease cost.”

Spencer has heard concerns from people working in the office-supply industry. I’ve heard concerns as well. Several people sent me a copy of the new fee schedule, asking why there hasn’t been any media coverage.

Kulathu Sankar went to a printer working group meeting hosted by OES in October and came away dissatisfied.

“Is the category defined well? No. What is a floor standing device? Any printer can be desktop and if it is put on a stand, it will be floor standing,” he said.

“Not all floor standing devices go for recycling. The big machines are generally returned to the manufacturer. Sometimes, the manufacturer resells them as remanufactured equipment by adding new parts or components.”

Office supply representatives want to remove the large printer category from the OES program. It’s exempt in Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces.

They say they’re already paying processors directly to recycle the machines in unusually high volumes.

“In some cases, this will apply to equipment that costs as little as $1,800,” says Kevin Hiebert, who sells printers. “So, a floor standing printer that costs $1,832.50 on Dec. 31 will cost $2,141.20 on Jan. 1.”

Consumers often complain about paying 13 per cent HST on the retail price, which includes the eco fee. They don’t like paying a tax on a tax.

Waste Diversion Ontario, which reports to the environment ministry, decides which products are subject to eco fees. There are gaps in the program.

Household appliances or “white goods,” such as washing machines, fridges and irons, are not included, says Spencer.

And while printers are included, printer cartridges and toners are excluded — unless they come with the purchase of a new printer.

The electronic recycling program hit the news in June 2011, when it reported having a $20 million surplus because it hadn’t recycled enough toxic waste. The government ordered it to lower eco fees temporarily.

Despite the drop, the $32.50 fee for floor standing printers stayed the same. But this huge increase, which is not shown on the OES consumer website, may thrust the recycling program into the news again.

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